The colours of Provence are often vivid and lush. They may be natural, artistic, or exuberantly personal. Still, artists have been aware of the brilliance of the light and the colours of Provence and have come here to enjoy their vibrancy and recreate them in their paintings. Their list is long, but I will restrain myself by mentioning only a few of them. There was, of course Cézanne, whose home town Aix was, and many others, among them: Van Gogh, Dufy, Picasso, Chagall, Matisse, Renoir and Braque.
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When we first arrived in Aix . . .
. . . there were hardly any leaves. The trees along the streets were...
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Awareness of Colour
Living in a place where the existing light emphasizes and dramatizes...
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Then, when the weather changes, . . .
. . . but still under a mostly cloudless sky, How different things look, with...
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A quietly ruffled, blue Mediterranean
This is just east of the harbour of Marseille.
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Another, vibrant shade of blue
Two sailing vessels, anchoring, protected from the Mediterranean swells, in a...
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A little pond, . . .
. . . but this time the water is green, reflecting the trees' greenery at...
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The orange of areas of Provence
These are clay cliffs, and being used to make bricks and tiles, many of the...
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Notice the orange in the background &
. . . and the orange shades of the buildings themselves.
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More orange buildings
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Orange sand not far from Aix
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Even though spring had hardly yet . . .
. . . arrived, these wild flowers brightened the landscape.
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Even though many trees were still . . .
. . . leafless, wildflowers grew here and there, much to our delight.
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Small, but brightly coloured, . . .
. . . cheerful flowers we discovered on a country walk.
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But, slowly, Spring arrived . . .
. . . in all its glory.
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Early April colours in Provence . . .
. . . though, many of the trees in Aix were still bare of leaves.
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The grape vines, too, were bare . . .
. . . of leaves, but spring was on the way.
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Still, when we visited the market, -1-
. . . even if the displays had little colour naturally, clearly, the vendors...
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The Market in Aix -2-
Though in this part of the market, the vegetables by themselves created a...
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The Market in Aix - 3 -
Clearly, by the quantity of flowers available, the Aixois must have...
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The Market in Aix - 4 -
More floral colour, more colourful sun shades, and more interested customers.
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Unapologetically bright colours . . .
. . . seem to reflect something about the inhabitants of Provence.
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Buiness colours
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Daringly coloured business canopies
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Curtains in display windows
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Even apartment buildings are not shy.
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How strangely then to see this Cathedral
It stands, high on the land above the harbour of Marseille and looks...
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Viewing platform
This viewing platform provided an amazing view of the city below.
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Soccer field visible from viewing platf.
Squeezed between the apartment building and the rock wall to the right, the...
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Marseille seen from the Cathedral . . .
In the left top corner of the photo can be seen the recreational boat...
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Aix's from the roof of the opera house
Once more, the clarity of the air offers an appealing brightness to...
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Provencal painting, ONE
This painting of Marseille's seaport around 1825 was painted by...
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Provencal Art TWO
Mounted on the wall in one of the narrow lanes of Marseille can be found this...
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Commercial art exhibit in Aix - THREE
When I took this photo, it really had not been my intention of...
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Western Europe
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